


Never Forget – We Don’t Shine only with Our Own Light

by Marta_Ayanami



Series: Luxu!! I've Heard Enough.  /Chain of Hearts [5]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: 'key' might be Ava or Skuld or whoever they don't know anyway, Gen, I'm not sure who Subject X is but that is fine as Isa and Lea have no idea either :D, Isa understands more but doesn't know how much is old history, Lea just finds it mostly incomprehensible, X doesn't remember any name so she wouldn't mind even 'Key', all the PoV jumping sorry just 3rd person narrator with insight into both boys so yeah, and how much is fairytales aka not real as far as he knows, and yep Lea isn't very good at naming btw XD, but really not much plot here, canon compliant maybe until next game I guess XD, headcanons, in the same verse as 'Scribbled Notes', just an Isa oneshot, just something I wanted to write for myself, oh and this universe Isa is a blueblood like Eraqus only he doesn't quite get that, preromantic feelings btw, so slightly chaotic fic maybe, yes the thing he's reading is about age of fairytales etc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:48:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22059598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marta_Ayanami/pseuds/Marta_Ayanami
Summary: Everything starts somewhere.Sometimes in dusty books that might be about family history, but might be about some old fairytales told in family, and so, not really quite real.Sometimes it starts when you and your best friend you have a crush on find a young woman who's being treated by scientists worse than a guinea pig or rabbit at lab, and so, perhaps you should do something. Even the moon would be disgusted.
Relationships: Lea & Isa & Subject X
Series: Luxu!! I've Heard Enough.  /Chain of Hearts [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1576777
Kudos: 3





	Never Forget – We Don’t Shine only with Our Own Light

It was hard to tear Isa away from his favourite book, the old dusty book of some fairytales or something, Lea wasn’t sure exactly. And those fairytales were written in such a complicated way, attempting to read them – and he tried, to see what his friend found so interesting – almost gave Lea a headache. 

What were they about, again? Something something moon something something future something something mastery of emotions something something heart something something, something something bluebloods, something blah blah something gathering lax, no, lux, blah blah something something something, as far as Lea could recall. Oh, there was also stuff about suns and stars and darkness and medals, but far too complicated, something something, something, agaes ago. 

"Who writes s—"

"What are you calling ‘such a boring stuff?’,” Isa asked, nose still in the book. „Try actually reading, maybe your IQ will stop lowering. As for whom, it was my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather who rode this book, although… this is just fragments. In old times, books often… scattered.” 

"To the winds? Heh, that sounds fun! I can maybe hope it’ll scatter again, and then you can finally go try those new ice cream with me.” 

"I already tried new ice cream once,” Isa replied, still engrossed in the book. 

"That wasn’t new, it was just a new shop, and you chose sea salt, like always!” 

"And you chose vanilla like always. So what?” 

"Okay, then. I’ll try sea salt next time, and you’ll try vanilla, or cinammon. Or, what, is sea salt connected to the mooooooooooon fairytales and all that? A family thing?” 

Isa shook his head, and suddenly grinned. ‘Not connected at all,” he replied. ‘Unless one counted the name of the flavour, as sea is connected to-‘ 

Lea groaned. 

"Sometimes I wish you were as talkative as that weird boy of Lord Ansem’s". 

Isa glared. 

"What, you want me to be mute?"

"He’s **not** mute. He can say a word or two."

Isa considered it. 

"Never said any to me.’ 

‘You’ve got to _push_ for words, from some people!’, Lea exclaimed, grinning. 

Isa closed the book of his great---etc--- grandfather’s real or imagined adventures, and seriously considered hitting Lea over the head with it. 

‘You. Don’t. Push. Orphans.’ 

‘Ugh, okay… I’m glad it’s not night, I wouldn’t want you glowy-eyeing at me, buddy—‘ 

‘I’m not your buddy—‘ 

‘Yeah, yeah, I know, you’re my boyfriend.’ 

Isa blushed furiously. 

‘What?!’ 

‘No, not like that! It’s another word for ‘a best friend’ in some far away worlds. That funny guard, you know, the one who doesn’t toss us out, said so!’ 

‘Mister Braig? Don’t trust a word he says.’ 

‘Why?’ 

Isa shrugged. He’d say the truth (‘I have an impression the moon avoids him, actually, like, ages ago, one would avoid something... _elelendisc_ , that man or something in that man, was the sudden thought, but I don't know that word, it's in the old journal sometimes, too, I think maybe it's something from far away? The journal, and the moon, they're always like that, because great-great-great grandfathers spoke differently, and moon's not so modern either, bleh'), but opted to say nothing, so as not to be a subject of his _boyfriend’s_ (tch) ridicule. 

Enough was enough, sometimes. 

‘I’ll glowy-eye at you or throw this book at you if you don’t keep your mouth shut, Lea. Especially next time we break into the castle. Don’t you know that to break into somewhere, one must keep quiet?’ 

Lea grinned, and said, laughing a little, 

‘I was as quiet as you were, bud.’ 

‘No. You weren’t. I’m quite certain I wasn’t shushing very loudly every other minute. No wonder mister Even heard us, so close to science rooms, too.’ 

‘But it was night. He should’ve been asleep. Not my fault if they keep mad scientists in the castle!’ 

‘Maybe he’s just sensitive to the moon, too. Or simply insomniac.’ 

‘Moon?’ 

‘It was new moon last night. How could you’ve not noticed, Lea?’ 

‘ooooh. I’m sorry. That’s why you were so quiet! And sulking. That explains everything!’ Lea shouted. ‘I really need to learn the calendar, for your cycle!’ 

Isa sighed. He’s long since given up on trying _to understand_ his best friend. It’d be a fool’s errand. 

‘Isa?’ 

‘Hm?’ 

‘I did learn a thing! Months are called ‘moons’ in some languages. So, in other words, you’re likely to be very angry once a month or something, right? That’s much less often than me! Cool.’ 

Isa smiled, and felt himself blushing a little. Alright, maybe being best friends with somebody who said whatever was on the tip of their tongue – and probably wouldn’t matter to them anymore tomorrow, but at least it mattered this very minute – wasn’t the worst. 

Or maybe it was, he thought, when the next minute, Lea opened Isa’s room’s window to throw a frisbee at the nearest tree, apparently bored of talking for a moment. 

‘You’re the worst,’ Isa muttered, under his breath. 

‘Yeah, but if I am, why are you inviting me to your house every other day?’, Lea asked cheerfully. 

‘Maybe because there’s no one else, have you considred that?’ 

‘Eh, that’s not true. Somebody as special as you, Isa, could have any friend, don’t lie to me. So – must mean I’m also a bit special.’ 

Isa shook his head. Special? Especially infuriating, if anything. 

And precious, to him, though why, he had no idea. 

Perhaps there was something to Isa’s family saying that one couldn’t shine in solitude. Perhaps, but—Lea certainly wasn’t ‘bright’. He was an idiot who barely passed school year last time. But— 

_The moonlight and sunlight, and starlight, and all the other lux, it is not something that can be grasped by mind alone, without heart._

A passage from Isa’s family ancestors’ fairytales / journals/ whatever it was, from now centuries ago. 

Isa hated to admit it, but some parts of the book were a bit nonsensical, his friend was right. Not that he’d admit it outloud. 

‘What can I do to make you _stop throwing those things through my window_ before my father notices?’, Isa simply asked instead. 

Lea considered it, then asnwered. 

And so, as per Lea’s caprice, they went to a forest. Half a day away from the town. Without even telling all their parents first. 

This wouldn’t end well, Isa was sure of it. Especially since people were saying that some monsters appeared in forests. That they came with some masked ma nor something. And that they might even invade cities soon. And. Yes. They have. After Lea tried fighting them with frisbees, unsuccessfully of course, Isa was glad when the moon finally appeared in the sky, and, even though it was no full moon, and therefore trying to feel it proved hard, Isa tried. And manager to run – and help Lea run – home fast, on a path not traversed by many monsters. One lit by the moon, which is why not many monsters could travel it. 

Lea said running between trees, and into some caves, and then climbing trees up and down, and waiting for hours, and then again, and making sure to stand in places where the Moon shone particularly brightly, because there - Lea said Isa must be doing some spells, but Isa wasn't Merlin - there, in those spots, if the monsters tried to touch Isa, or Lea (so, see, no spells, as Lea certainly didn't know any), the monsters instead then took a step back for a second or two, as if mildly intimidated. And then Isa and Lea could have a headstart in running, and climbing trees to hide, and so on, could hardly be called ‘a path’, but, a path was a path, when the moon showed it. 

That much, Isa knew, no matter what his best friend said. And so, they got home safely that night, just lik many other nights. 

Lea would always call that ‘Isa’s luck’, probably always, but Isa knew he couldn’t have such luck to speak of, only everything his parents taught him. If he had luck… he’d make Lea more interested in him, Isa, than in anybody else, after all. That’d be lucky. 

For some reason. 

Emotions were stupid, just like the phases of the moon, but all the same, all of that, was his own, and so, he had to suffer that, right? 

_Alright,_ Isa thought, smiling, _‘suffer’ is not the right word. But until he likes me like I like him – and surely he must, someday, or why would he keep coming to me?Until then, Lea doesn’t need to know that I’m not kidding that he’s… unforgettable to me. Forever.’_

It wasn’t only about hanging out, either. Isa was certain he’d keep Lea in his thoughts, always, even if Lea ever moved out and then never saw him again. 

The next day, they broke into the castle again. After all, that was nothing in comparison to escaping monsters. They were thrown out by the guards, as per usual. Isa didn’t even try to fight that, as he saw it coming.

And a week later, they did it again, after meeting some strange boy, Ventus (the moonlight felt weird about that one, Isa felt, as if Ventus was somehow _too bright_ of a star, strangely bright, something not right about it…) and ‘befriending’ him. (Lea believed in befriending people in five minutes. Isa didn’t.)

And then, a few months later, once they manager to break in without being thrown out by mister Dilan and mister Aeleus again (the key to that was just waiting for when guards would have a break for dinner, and also for when Even would be out taking little Ienzo for a walk, which happened sometimes), to see for real if the rumours – the rumours which started very recently, really – were true.

‘It _is_ true,’ Isa insisted that morning, ‘the moonlight itself around the castle at night, it…. Changes. I think… we should stop playing in the castle like that, Lea. There’s something there.’

‘Changes? Well, that just means we should see what’s up! Listen, if there’s some hauntings, shouldn’t we check? I’ve never seen a real haunted castle, and now ours might actually be it, Isa!’

‘It’s not ours, we only live nearby. Not ours at all. And if it’s haunted, I’m not saving you from any stray ghosts.’

‘kay, I’ll just save myself and you!’

For a moment, just a stray thought, Isa wanted to say that Lea should just save himself, for Isa had a moon on his side, in some ways, if he believed what he felt and what his family would say. While, Lea, well, what did Lea have?

 _Own light, not just reflection,_ Isa suddenly thought, somehow certain of it. Because…. The moon only reflects light, and, and, he suddenly realised…

_I know… what Lea’s thing is, somehow, if mine is moonlight. It’s because… ever since meeting Lea four years ago, at new school, I felt stronger, with each night. Because – Lea has a light of his own. He just doesn’t yet know it. I hope he never knows. Or he’d know I’m now only being his mirror._

***

Only a sliver of light illuminated her in a dark cell. It seemed that Lea didn’t notice – no wonder, Isa barely noticed her himself, as they were – in a panic -trying to leave this horrible – abominable – worse than haunted place.

Screams? The things they heard here, those were worse than some simple _screams._

There were no windows here for any moonlight to shine here, but if it could shine here, it’d turn away in disgust, surely, Isa thought. Because… any nature… this, this, all of this here, it wasn’t _natural_ at all.

And so, yes, they barely noticed HER – or rather, before noticing, barely heard her whisper –

‘Ienzo? Mister Xehanort? Mister Even? Please, not today… I’m so tired…’

‘Hey,’ Lea whispered to Isa, ‘this ghost sounds like a girl! And knows people here. D’you think she haunts them? I get haunting Even, I’d haunt him too, for raising alarm just cause I wanna some castle adventuring, but why haunt Ienzo? He’s quiet and harmless.’

‘Lea. Lea, focus. This is no ghost.’

‘Whaaaa? Then, it’s… a girl? Then, how come… I can’t find anything to unlock this cel? I mean…. It’s like… worse then with a dog. Anybody takes a dog for walks. But here – how do they let this girl out, when this is closed, like, completely?’ Lea asked, just speaking whatever was on his the tip of his tongue again, as always when nervous.

Isa couldn’t help almost laughing – he stiffled it, he had no idea what would happen to the two of them and to the apparently imprisoned girl if they were discovered here – at the sheer absurdity.

‘I’m not a dog,’ the girl – woman? – no, she didn’t sound old, girl – said, sounding slightly indignant.

‘Sorry, sorry,’ Lea said, scratching the back of his head, which at least meant he truly was sorry or at least embarassed.

‘It’s okay,’ the girl’s voice in the dark replied, ‘you can’t see me, just like I can’t see you two, right? Uhm, I think we might be same age. More or less. Only, I don’t remember.’

\---

It turned out the girl didn’t remember many things. Only something about four friends and keys.

Keys were mentioned in old family book/diary/fairytales Isa had, so he asked the girl about moonlight, and starlight, and about medals, and about lux.

Asking about lux made her suddenly sob, if they heard correctly, so Lea just glared at Isa and said he had no idea what was that about, but he’s not gonna be boyfriends with somebody who makes imprisoned people cry.

Well, sure, Isa was quite sure he himself wouldn’t be, either. He didn’t understand everything, anyway.

One thing they could agree on, as Isa knew they would – soon, they’d go the castle again, and talk to the mysterious girl again. She didn’t remember anyone, which meant she didn’t have anyone, now.

There was nobody to save her.

And so, they should do something, maybe jog her memory.

‘We’ll find out who can save her, and go to them and tell them she’s here, and alone, and scared!’

Isa frowned. What if it wasn’t so easy? What if the girl came from another world, as supposedly Isa’s own grandmother did, and he found himself more likely to believe that story, nowadays? He shared those doubts with Lea, next week, even though it was supposed to be a family secret.

Then again, what was Lea if not family, in how important he was to Isa, at least?

(Though. He sometimes got some strange thoughts about him, not quite platonic, soooo…. Not family-thoughts…. But who cared?!)

___

‘So maybe,’ Lea mubled, eating a sea-salt ice cream, with only a slightest grimace, ‘maybe, I think you might be right, Key is from another world. She talked about travelling, right? With friends? Every time’.

‘Every time’ meant three times, as that was the numer of times they manager to visit her until today.

‘Key?’

Since when was that her name? Isa frowned, and glared at his best friend. Her name, the name of this new friend of theirs, of the castle’s prisoner, should be much, much more beautiful than ‘key’, one could name a cat or a dog something like that, not a woman!

‘Yep, Key! Because she says, ‘May your heart be your guiding key.’ And she doesn’t remember her name, anyways. So next time I’ll ask her if I can name her Key.’

‘Only if I can name you ‘Frisbee’ if someday you hit your head heart enough to be amnesiac,’ Isa replied, smirking a little.

‘Ehhh, that doesn’t quite sound like a name material… why wouldn’t you name me something cool insted? Like…. ‘Red’, and you could say it’s because of my hair. Or like—‘

‘Like _Ridiculous Idiot,_ that can be your amnesiac name if you ever get hit on the head.’

‘Seriously?! Geez, if so, your amnesiac name is gonna be ‘Blue’ or ‘Lunatic’ or something.’

‘Fair enough’.

They almost laugh, but then, they thought of her, the girl, the young woman, all alone and ‘tired’ from whatever mad scientists (including even the little boy? What was up with Ienzo, anyway) were doing to her.

Whatever that might be.

Isa determined to ask the girl next time what were the scientists doing to her. At least that was some kind of clear goal. And if he and Lea knew what was being done, surely they’d be able to stop it somehow.

At least he hoped so.

\--------

And then, one day, on what was to be their tenth visit, with Lea rambling about all the ideas about how to get her out, and Isa nodding reluctantly, not sure if they could manage, just the two of them, Key simply wasn't in her cell.

'Maybe they finally let her go!' Lea shouted. 'Or her four friends got her out, don't you think so, Isa?'

Isa had his doubts. And he freely shared them only after they both left the Castle, as he didn't want Lea to start screaming, there was enough screaming in this sinister place already.

Lea then decided it was time for a plan B. Only, Lea had no plan B, so Isa started on making one.

For all the three of them. Her, him, and himself. After all, they promised. And Isa didn't lie, so help him the moon. Especially not to those he loved. Besides, even if he could ever imagine not trying to save Key, Lea would probably still try - not because she was a singularity just like the redhead was, Lea had no idea about any of that, but just because Lea was, well, so damned, well, LEA, it was just who he was-- and so, he could imagine, he could picture, clear as the moonlight, Lea in some such cell, like all the ones there---

and he'd rather get beaten up by all the guards than see that. And so. Yeah. Time to start working on plan B.

'Lea. Can you actually study for once? We could become apprentices.'

Lea stared at him. 'But that's only for smartest people! Apprenticeship, I mean. I'm not you, and I'm not Ienzo!'

Isa sighed. The path before them was surely long.

'What if I helped you?'

Lea nodded then, eagerly, and assured him that together, they could do anything.

Why, then, on the next night of the full moon, Isa suddenly felt very uneasy about the future, and for a moment, considred ditching all those ideas... .and another moment, considred going through with the plan, but without Lea, just by himself, so that at least Lea would be safe? The danger wasn't imaginary, he knew. The moon never lied.

But it was never very clear, either. And so, he had no idea what was there to fear, still. Surely... if there was danger, he could just escape together with Lea and her. Just like he and Lea escped from monsters in the forest.

Nothing to it.

Isa stiffled his unease. One couldn't let one's own feelings do all the talking. If feelings ruled, well then... he'd have confessed to Lea a year ago, and probably would've no longer had a best friend by now.

Which was why one had to be careful with feelings.

___________

It was so annoying, not to know whether Isa was falling for him or for her, Lea thought, quite certain that Isa was falling for someone, what with all the blushing and sometimes even glowy eyes for no other visible reason.

Probably her. Lea had no idea what she - Key - looked like, but maybe Isa had some idea, what with all his moonlightly sight, and so... well, maybe she was a beauty, like in the movies.

Maybe they could all just go on dates together. That'd be cool, too. Wow. Him and two beautiful people? Seriously, weird, seeing as Lea didn't feel at all so special, sometimes.

He shook his head. There was no time for such thoughts right now. He had to study, like Isa said, to get smart, apprenticed, together with Isa, and together, rescue their friend, who, last time they visited, seemed exhausted, too exhausted even to feel afraid anymore.

How tired would one have to be, to no longer feel like their heart might explode, if some mad scientists came and did weird things? Lea knew he'd be scared, though he hoped he wouldn't admit it. Would Isa be scared, too?

Maybe.

Mad scientists, huh. When did he start thinking like that of the people he saw around for years. What was happening in the castle? Maybe it really was haunted, and the ghosts possessed all the scientists and made them do horrible things.

At least that one guard, Braig, was still completely normal. Didn't seem to be suddenly stiffling emotions or anything, as far as Lea could see. Still just a jerk, as always. Though... Isa thought something was wrong with Braig, and once, when Braig was the one to throw them out of the Castle, Isa chucked, with strength he didn't suspect himself of having when the moon wasn't visible, that complicated book at Braig, shouting, 'don't touch him!'

That was, well, maybe somewhat a mistake, as that guy, Braig, picked the book up, skimmed some page quickly, laughed and said, 'How cute. Second-hand... no, third-hand, no, maybe even further, information, on those times. Mostly right, if a bit filtered. Oral tradition in family, written afterwards, huh? Waxing poetic about Moon Gems - yea, that must be that, despite being all cryptic - and about Magic Medals, and Supernovas, so at least I know the affiliation of that ancestor, I guess. Though only some scraps. I wonder if I met the ancestor of whoever wrote this. Heh. I'll be taking this memoir, so that our little diviner here doesn't read too much into it and, huh, learns that I exist or anything like that. That's soooo not appropriate for little children, but - if you know already and if I get bored of what I have now, I'll take this,'

the weird guard said, pointing at Isa, who was frowning and clearly NOT comprehending what he was supposed to potentioally know, suddenly making Lea feel uneasy. And wait, what? What's that guy thinking, nobody takes Isa away! Well. He didn't, so, fine, just some weirdness.

And just like that, Isa lost one of his probably top five books because of Lea. Agh.

_________________

If the Castle was haunted, if there were ghosts... Isa frowned. If there were ghosts, they would surely run away back to some underworld upon seeing what the scientists were doing in that horrid place. Whatever they were doing.

Seeing and hearing some 'results' was horrible enough. That's why- he and Lea, had to save the girl, Key or whatever, before she became a ghost or a monster, too.

Without fail.


End file.
